Anyone who’s talked “cake” with me knows that I love two things more than anything. The first being Disco Dust. Anything that glitters just makes me smile. The second is edible lace. I love the versatility that it offers and I love the look that it gives a cake. Most of all, I love how easy it is to use.

For this cake, I used a CK impression mat and laid it on a large piece of parchment paper. I then spread a thin coat of the gold Claire Bowman Cake Lace over the impression mat using a small spatula. You could use the spreader that’s sold wherever you purchase your lace, but I don’t have one. It’s just one more piece of cake equipment for which to find yet another storage spot. I then used a plastic bench scraper to ensure that I’d spread the lace into every nook and cranny of the mat.
Allow the mat to sit out at room temperature overnight. Depending on the humidity, it may take an additional day of drying. If the lace is tacky, it needs more drying time. If it is dry to the touch, you are ready for the next step. Once the first color is dry, I applied an even coat of the white pearlized lace overtop of the dry gold lace. Keep in mind, do not remove the gold lace from the mat. You put the white over the gold, which will give it the “overlay” look once it’s removed from the mat.

Let the mat set out at room temperature again; but this time, it will need to set up for 2-3 days. Once dry to the touch, flip the mat over and gently pull the mat away from the overlay. It might break on some of the corners, but that’s ok, because most likely, you will need to cut the dried overlay to the size of your cake. I also did my best to line up my pattern. The part that did not line up, I put my flowers over top to cover the seam as best as I could.

I only had 1 mat, so each completed overlay took me 3-4 days. This is something to keep in mind if you decide to use this process. Either, 1) purchase additional mats so that you can dry multiples at once; or, 2) plan way in advance. I stored my completed mats in gallon-sized Ziplock bags and put a piece of parchment paper between each layer.

Once your mats are dry, cut to size and ready to apply to your cake, you are on easy street. I used piping gel to adhere my lace overlays. I found that it allowed me ample time to move the lace around without breaking it. Water dissolves the lace too quickly and the overlay was too thick for shortening to adhere the lace. It didn’t have that “glue” kind of feel to it. But piping gel worked perfectly.

You could use this technique in so many ways, with so many mats, in so many colors. Happy caking!

Post navigation

Navigation

Follow me

Search for:

Hello

My hope is to show you some techniques or skills that I have seen or learned over the years. They were gained through classes, admiring others' work, or simply trial and error. Sometimes what we think is a big mistake sometimes ends up being a masterpiece. Together, maybe we can further our skills and make beautiful cakes.